However, if you expect that your chip shot would arrive at the hole, travelling a little bit slower, then you could have the flag taken out, because sometimes the ball might hit the flag and bounce away from the hole, but if the flag is out, and the ball is arriving slowly, the hole is effectively bigger. So, downhill shots, on fast greens or little chip-in runs, try and have the flag left in and work it as a back stop. On up-hill chip shots or flop shots, where you’re throwing the ball nice and high up into the air, try and have the flag taken out, so the hole plays a little bit bigger.

One other thing there is, if the flag is taken out, often the golfer mindset changes slightly because now it looks like a putt, with the flag taken out, it looks like the hole is bigger; it looks like you got more of chance to get the golf ball in the hole.

So, if you are around the side of the green, you got a little bump and run, a little chip shot just around the side of the green or even a off the green putt, and you can clearly see where the hole is, have the flag taken out, try and make that shot, its only when the ball will be arriving on the hole travelling quickly on the downhill slopes or on the low fast bump and run shots, where you have the flag left in as the back stop. But don’t forget, you do have all three options; left in, taken out, or attended, and hopefully that way, you will hold more chip shots.